I have had my cell phone service through Alltel for about 18 months. I was previously with another carrier and my mom convinced me to go into the same program with her. This program meant my phone became a "companion" phone on her program and it gave both of us the opportunity for a better deal on our cell phone service.
Or so we thought.
I have found this "companion" program to be a hassle. Even though Alltel sends me my own bill and I pay my bill through my own EFT, they still will not let me make any changes regarding my plan without first talking to my mom. I could see this if I were a minor child but the fact that they send me my own separate bill (at my own separate address) and that they electronically draw funds from MY account to pay the bill would imply that I have my own account.
This has caused rounds and rounds of frustration as I have had problems and needed to call them, only to find out they need to speak with my mother first. My mother finally got them to put it onto my account that I have her "permission" to make changes to my account, but I still find I have to jump through hopes when I call.
I have also found that I have had varying levels of customer service. I had a problem where I was constantly going over my minutes. I would call Alltel and ask them to tell me a program that would incorporate my average talk-time so that I would not be paying a "per minute" overage. Each time the person would say "Well based on your useage...you need to do..." and so I would do that, only to have the same scenario the next month. (and I was not increasing my use of the phone).
I have also had trouble trying to navigate their website. It's at www.alltel.com. I tried to sign up for a program that they have that allows you up to 10 free numbers that you can call without being charged. I have tried to access this numerous times on the website and I cannot open the program.
So while my jump to Alltel was supposed to be convenient and save money, I've found that not to be the case. The only good news is that I only have about six months more to go in this contract.
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